Officers in the Northeast's 2nd District detected a hit on the stolen van's license plate on Cheltenham Avenue near Rising Sun shortly after 7:30 p.m., according to investigators. The cops followed the van until the suspect took off at a high rate of speed on Newtown Road, where police lost him.

The suspect continued to flee, until he crashed the van into another car at Front Street and Godfrey Avenue around 8:40 p.m. Both vehicles, badly damaged, ended up on the sidewalk.

Police said the suspect managed to get out of the van and flee the crash scene on foot. He was last seen running south through an alley behind houses on Mascher Street near Godfrey Avenue.

Cops said a woman in the minivan the suspect hit suffered minor injuries, but was expected to recover.